Times a Changing
by Snapps
Summary: What if Mistress Centipede never took Kagome? What if she happened through the well a different way... to a different time?...T for Language
1. Prologue

**_Author Note: _**_Hello, this being my first story on this account, I would love some constructive criticism as I hope to improve what faults I can. I do hope you enjoy :) ~Snapps_

**Disclaimer: **I do not, nor will I ever, own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi is the true mastermind.

Now, as a heads up I will also say that this first chapter is pretty much going to follow the manga with a couple changes here and there, but I still do not own it or any characters from it.

* * *

**...Prologue…**

"Jewel of Four Souls… you say?" Kagome sat on the floor looking at a certain keychain expectantly as if waiting for some unforeseen power to erupt from the tiny glass trinket. When nothing of the sort happened, the expectant gaze transferred to her Grandfather.

"Yes well, as long as you keep this, your house will be safe and your business will prosper!" He jived from his place across from her, holding up a similar keychain with a salesman's smile.

"These little things?" She peered once again at the keychain in her hand suspiciously. "And we're going to _sell _them claiming this for fact? Will people even believe this nonsense?" Kagome asked her Grandpa dubiously.

"My dear child! Don't insult the wisdom of an old man!" He looked horrified. "Kagome, the _long _history of the Shikon Jewel begins a _long_ time ago-"

"So Grandpa, do you remember what day it is tomorrow?" Kagome asked suddenly giddy about the thought as she set the charm back into one of many boxes full of them.

Ignoring her interruption, or perhaps not even seeming to notice, he smiled. "Of course, how could I forget my lovely Granddaughter's seventeenth birthday?" The elderly Higurashi answered as he stood and began rummaging through a pile of crumpled packaging paper. "Ah here it is. Now I know it's a bit early but, happy birthday Kagome!" He handed her a small, square box wrapped in light blue wrapping paper and a pink bow that she promptly took with a huge grin.

"Oh wow a present? Grandpa you shouldn't-…! Have… " A vague expression crossed her face instantly as she lifted some sort of creature's paw, or clawed hand as it more closely resembled, from the small container. '_Really Grandpa… you _shouldn't _have…_' She turned it over a couple times examining it before handing it to her playful cat perched in her lap. "Here Buyo, eat."

Kagome's Grandpa was flabbergasted, "K-Kagome! Don't give that to Buyo! That's an ancient, and _very _expensive, artifact!"

Buyo chomped on the object and made a face, letting go as he pranced off. "What exactly _is _it?" She asked glaring at the fur ball that refused to take it off her hands.

"It is an _authentic_ mummified Kappa hand of course!" Grandpa stated cheerily, proud he acquired such a prize.

"Of course…" She wilted, placing the claw back into the box.

"It brings good luck as long as it is on your person. The history of this unique artifact starts a _long _time ago-"

"Kagome, Grandpa, breakfast is ready!" Souta called.

"Coming!" Kagome answered as she dropped the gift box on the ground in front of the elderly Higurashi before running to the dining table.

* * *

Kagome tapped each shoe-covered toe on the floor before darting out the door. "I'm leaving for school!" she called back but stopped as she noticed the shrine door open. "Souta, what are you doing in the well house? That's not some place to play you know."

" But Buyo ran in there!" Souta protested as he peered into the dark building, holding Buyo's bowl of food.

"So go get him." She offered as they both entered the well house and stood at the top of the small set of stairs leading down to the Bone-Eater's Well.

"B-but it's so creepy down there…" Souta complained and inched forward slowly. "Buuuuyooooo… come on you dumb cat don't go to such a scary place!"

_Scratch scratch scratch_

"Aaaaah! There's something down there!" Kagome's younger brother yelped as he lurched backwards, pointing at the well.

"Like maybeeee… the cat?" She quipped. "I guess I'll get him."

_Scratch scratch scratch_

'_Wait a minute… the sound is coming from _inside_ the well?_' Kagome stared at the covered well, and could've sworn she saw the seal peeling up at the sides, singed. Descending the stairs she kept a wary eye on the well. Once she reached the bottom, Kagome stooped to look for her suddenly illusive cat. "Buuyoooo…"

_CRASH_

"Eeyaaaaahh!" Kagome stood in a hurry and stumbled backwards almost falling on the steps.

"Sis! Don't scream like that you scared me!" Souta complained, putting his hand over his fast beating heart.

"Why you…" She muttered glaring up at her brother before something else caught her eye. Buyo came trotting up to Kagome and rubbed on her leg. "Buyo… you naughty cat, you shouldn't be in here either you know." She stooped to pick up the purring trespasser and scrubbed behind his ears. Just before she turned to go back up the stairs of the shrine, she stopped.

_Scratch scratch scratch_

Kagome felt a steady warmth start radiating from her left side. 'Wh-what the…?' She turned to look at the well once more, just as the last bit of the seal was beginning to burn off and the wood covering the well cracked in several places, looking like it was about to break…

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_**End Note: **Again I hope you enjoyed :) Please do me the honor of reviews and helpful criticism_


	2. Chaper 1: Eyes so Green

_**Author Note: **__Quite a few things have changed in this chapter, so if I may ask that you read it again and tell me how it turned out. :)_

**Disclaimer: **I do not, nor will I ever, own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi is the true mastermind.

* * *

**...Chapter 1...**

_~Eyes so Green~_

Kagome stood there, staring at the well as if waiting for something to break through the chipping wood. Finally feeling a sudden sense of danger she flung around quicker than she thought possible, grabbed her younger brother's shirt collar and hauled him outside. She slammed the well house door shut so hard it shuttered a momentary sigh of relief. Placing the now wriggling cat on the ground, Kagome turned and gave Souta a stern look. "Don't go in there alone again, ok?"

"S-Sis? But why, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost..." Souta nervously played with Buyo's food dish until the cat headbutted his leg obstinately, glaring at the young boy with eyes that told him 'I'm hungry, feed me!' "Ok, ok Buyo." He put the food dish down and looked at his sister expactantly, but she had already started running toward the gate.

"Just promise me you won't, Souta," She called over her shoulder and began sprinting at a faster pace. "I'm gonna be late!"

Staring after his older sister, Souta scratched his head in confusion. However, after giving the shrine a quick glance over the shoulder, a shiver ran down his spine making him take a couple steps away from it. "Creepy..." Realization struck like a brick and he, too, dashed toward the gate. "Aw man, now _I'm _gonna be late! Sis, wait for me!" He ran off the Higurashi property in a failed attempt to catch up with his sister.

* * *

Tapping her pencil against her lips, Kagome's eyes were practically boring holes into a sheet of math homework. However, not one pencil stroke had made it onto the paper as of yet. Certain events of the day clouded her thoughts, preventing them from remaining on her assignment as they were supposed to and no matter how many attempts she made to concentrate, it was to no avail. _'Augh! I just can't stop thinking about that well... It's never done this to me before and I've been in there plenty of times. I wonder what's going on...' _Tapping the pencil once more, an exasperated sigh blew past it.

"I have to check this out..." Kagome resolved and stood, walking downstairs toward the front door. Her hand on the doorknob she started having second thoughts. _'No, I have to find out why it was doing what it was doing. I _have_ to know what's going on.'_ Just as she resigned herself to going to the well house in the dark and was about to open the door, a voice stopped her.

"Kagome, dear, is that you?" Mrs. Higurashi's voice rang from the living room.

Freezing where she was, Kagome answered, "Yeah, Mom, it's me."

"Come in here for a minute."

Removing her hand slowly from the door, her eyes lingered on it as if determining whether she should ask her mom to wait a few minutes while she finished something and continue anyway or not. Deciding there was no guarantee she would learn anything to answer her questions either way and that she would rather not answer the questions her mother would be bound to have, Kagome turned and made her way to the living room where her mother waited. Peeking her head in, she asked, "Yes, Mom?"

Mrs. Higurashi looked up from piles of colorful paper cranes splayed out randomly all around her, and equal piles of origami paper waiting to be folded. "Come, sit down." She patted the floor next to her smiling.

Kagome obeyed and sat down next to her mother, grabbing a piece of yellow origami paper and began folding. "What are all the paper cranes for, Mom?"

"We're going to hand these out to the young children tomorrow during the festival, remember?"

"The festival!" Kagome stopped mid-fold. Every year, the Higurashi shrine would hold a small festival for families to come have fun and visit the Higurashi Shrine. It was not a very big one like those held in the city, but it served its purpose. Also, small donations were usually offered in homage to the shrine for holding the small gathering. Although they never asked for any of the money, it was much appreciated and helped a great deal. "I completely forgot it was tomorrow..." She looked guiltily down at her unfinished crane.

"It's alright, dear. I've already picked out a yukata for you. I know you've been so busy with school, I had a feeling you may not have remembered." Mrs. Higurashi smiled warmly.

Kagome grinned and hugged her mother. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. Now, that's not what I called you in here for."

Giving her mom a confused look, she decided to start on the crane in her hands once again.

"Souta told me about what happened this morning in the well house. Are you alright? He said you looked white as a sheet, he was worried about you and so am I." Mrs. Higurashi added her finished purple crane, with small pink sakura flowers, to the pile of waiting brethren and looked at her daughter expectantly.

Kagome added her own finished crane to the pile and looked up at her mother. "Well..." She stopped. She had really hoped her mom would not find out about any of this until she herself found some answers if there were any to _be _found. She also really didnt want her mom worrying over nothing while she still had no clue what was going on. "It was nothing, Buyo just scared me when he jumped out from wherever his hiding place was." She offered, trying to convince herself as much as her mother.

Mrs. Higurashi looked at her daughter skeptically, remembering when Souta mentioned that Kagome told him not to go back into the shrine alone, but decided not to push. If her daughter was not willing to talk about it she would not make her, she would open up eventually. Mrs. Higurashi smiled another warm smile, "Okay, dear."

Kagome smiled back in relief. "Thanks, Mom."

"Alright, now help me finish these cranes." A determined look flitted across Mrs. Higurashi's face as she grabbed another piece of origami paper. "We have a _lot _of work to do."

* * *

_It was dark. It was still night, but why are the stars not showing?_

_'Stars? I'm in my room that's why the stars aren't showing.'_

_It was dark. A damp, warm breeze blew from the west._

_'A breeze? No, I'm in my room, I must be facing my pillow and just breathing into it.'_

_It was dark. There is someone standing there._

_'Someone?'_

_Green eyese. Eyes _so _green. Pale. Pale. White fangs. _

_'F-fangs?'_

_Green eyes. Eyes _so _green. Blood dripping down white fangs. Blood. Blood. He's-_

Kagome shot up in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat, gasping for air. She clasped her shirt above her heart, fear still clenching it with an iron grip. She noticed her hands were shaking, too. "Wh-where did _that _come from?" She swiped at her forehead, cringing at the filthy feeling she suddenly felt. Kagome glanced at her alarm clock. Five o' clock in the morning. "_Ugh_... Well I won't be able to get back to sleep after that, so i guess I better just take my bath, I feel disgusting." Grabbing a change of clothes she headed to the bathroom.

Sloshing down in the water after thoroughly scrubbing herself, she mulled over the nightmare. "That was _really _freaky... But, it just felt so real. She put her wet hand up to her cheek as if she could still feel that warm breeze. Or... had that been _breath_? Kagome's breath caught in her throat and she felt cold shivers run down her spine at the thought of it. "Ok, ok I think the heat's getting to my head and putting ideas in my head..." She convinced herself it was just a dream anyway and that she shouldn't give it much thought. After grabbing a quick snack in the kitchen and finally finishing her homework from the night before, she headed to her mothers room around seven.

"You're up early, dear." Mrs. Higurashi was tying the obi on her light green yukata. Twisting her pale blue obi around to the back, she smoothed out the wrinkles made in her yukata and walked over to Kagome. "Is something wrong?"

Leave it to her mom to know when something was up. Kagome smiled sheepishly and admitted, "I had a nightmare early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep is all."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Do you want to talk about it?" Mrs. Higurashi held out her arms.

Gladly accepting the hug, "I don't really remember it," she lied. It was clearly imprinted in her mind and she did _not _think she would be forgetting it any time soon.

"Are you sure, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi pushed. She rubbed small circles on her daughter's back like she used to do when Kagome was younger after she had nightmares.

Releasing her mother, Kagome smiled and nodded reassuringly. "You said you had a yukata picked out for me, Mom?" She was aching to change the subject and forced the thoughts of the dream to the back of her mind.

"Of course." Mrs. Higurashi smiled proudly as she fetched said clothing and offered it to her daughter. It was a beautiful deep blue yukata with white spider lillies decorating it and a contrasting crimson obi. "I thought this could serve as your birthday present. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Oh, Mom, it's gorgeous! Thank you so much!" Kagome excitedly took the offered yukata and skittered to her room, anxious to slip into it. After fitting into the outfit, she began fussing with the obi. Every time her obi knot came out sloppy, and she was getting frustrated. "Mom made it look so easy..." One more failed attempt and she heard a giggle from the hallway.

Kagome turned to come face to face with her mother who had slipped silently into her room and had taken hold of the red obi. "Turn back around and I'll tie it for you." Mrs. Higurashi smiled and her eyes danced in amusement.

Blushing profusely, Kagome obeyed and faced her window. After she felt her mother give the knot a final tug and then smooth it out, she faced her mom once again and hugged her. "Thanks, Mom... I'll be able to tie my own _some_day." _'I hope.'_ She giggled slightly at the thought of her thirty-year-old self coming home to get her obi tied.

"There's no rush, dear. I'll be here to help you as long as you need." Mrs. Higurashi smiled back lovingly.

"Yeah." Dressed and ready, Kagome headed downstairs close behind her mother, before they heard a crash in the kitchen.

"Grandpa?"

"Dad?"

Souta came zooming out of the kitchen and blocked the two women from entering. "E-everything's fine! You don't need to worry." Souta smiled nervously as he glanced over his shoulder nervously.

"_Ack!_"

_Crash. Thud. Claaaaanngg._

Mrs. Higurashi gave Souta a mother's look as he laughed nervously.

"Are you sure about that, Souta?" Kagome asked skeptically. "Everything doesn't _sound _fine."

Just then, Buyo trotted out of the kitchen, stopped to lick some strange white substance off his paw, then continued past the family.

"What the?" Kagome watched the cat walk to the front door and wait to be let out as he cleaned himself.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes widened, and she quickly turned on Kagome. "Kagome, would you be a dear and let Buyo outside? And then, Grandpa's got some sutras in the well house, would you mind fetching those as well?" Without waiting for an answer, she started pushing Kagome toward the front door, then darted into the kitchen past Souta. Giving Kagome another nervous glance, he joined the aparent kitchen party that she had not been invited to.

"I wonder what that was all about?" She looked to Buyo for answers, but all she got was a lazy meow. Glaring at the cat, Kagome let him outside. "Well _you're _no help you dumb cat. Guess I better go get those sutras for Grandpa..." As she made her way to the well house, she started getting a weird feeling again and her pace slowed considerably. Kagome stopped in front of the door and rested her hand on the handle, but then ripped her hand away and took a couple steps back. She felt warmth spread in her left side again, but this time it was accompanied by a slight tug like something from _inside_ was trying to pull her inside. "Wha...?" She stepped back again and ran smack into a chest. Kagome slapped her hand over her mouth to block the scream climbing in her throat as she pulled away and turned around.

"Oh! Good morning, Kagome."

_'Houjo... What in the world is he doing here?' _, "Uh, g-good morning..." She stuttered, still shaken by the warmth in her side which had yet to go away, as well as the tug. "What are you doing here, Houjo?

"Well, I heard your annual festival was today so I came to help." He smiled broadly. "What'cha doing here?" He gestured at the shrine.

"Oh, Mom wanted me to get Grandpa's box of sutras." After straightening her yukata, she started fingering her hair that had been tousled in the excitement. Good thing she decided to just leave it down.

"Do you need help?" Houjo smiled eagerly.

"Uh, no I'm ok." Kagome declined against her better judgement. She did _not _want to be alone in the well house, but she also did not want to burden someone else just because she was a little afraid of the shrine right now. She would have to get over it eventually and she decided that it would start with her getting her grandfather's sutras from inside. "Mom, Grandpa and Souta are inside, they might need help." Kagome offered.

Houjo waited a bit longer in case Kagome changed her mind, which she was tempted, but did not. "Alrighty, I'll go see if your family needs help." He smiled before walking off in the direction of her house.

Turning back around to face the well house, Kagome took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves and willed her side to return to her natural body temperature. Unfortunately, her body decided to go against her wishes and stay warm. Ignoring the tugging, she took one more deep breath and flung the door open, bracing herself. For what? She did not know and _that_ was one of the biggest things that scared her.

Opening her eyes- when exactly had they closed?- Kagome gave the shrine a good twice-over before finally settling her sights on the well. A small bit of the well's seal was still there. _'So I guess it didn't all burn off... but most importantly that means all that stuff was one hundred percent _real_.' _In the back of her mind, she had hoped and prayed that all of the happenings of the previous morning had all been a bad dream like the one she had last night. Now that she found out it was no bad dream, a new sense of nervousness set in. _'Stop it, stop it. I'll be fine. Nothing will happen to me. I'll. Be. _Fine_.' _After yet another deep breath, she looked around the well house again, this time looking for the boxes of sutras. "Ah-hah!" she spotted them on the far side behind the well, so she grabbed the old wooden ladder by the door and made her way to the other side. Skirting the well, she set the ladder against the mass of shelves and started climbing, all the while not noticing that the well had began to pulse.

* * *

Mrs. Higurashi turned away from her father at hearing the doorbell. She had been scolding him at almost letting Kagome see the birthday cake he was in duty of frosting. Apparently, while he was doing just that, Buyo decided to waltz in and make mischief, resulting in frostiing being flung across the kitchen and pots and pans being dropped.

"Coming!" Mrs. Higurashi called after giving both Souta and her father an austere look that told them to clean the kitchen and have the cake _finished_ before Kagome came back. She opened the door and recognized one of the boys from Kagome's school. "Hello, Kagome's in the well house if you're looking for her." She smiled.

Houjo smiled back. "I saw her, I offered to help her get the... sutas? suras?... But she declined and told me you and your other family members may need help."

"Oh my, she did, did she?" Mrs. Higurashi chuckled at her daughter's 'I can do it myself' attitude that she has had since she was a child. "Alright, dear, come on in. We actually could use a little help." A glint appeared in her eyes that went unnoticed by the unsuspecting Houjo as he entered the Higurashi household.

Mrs. Higurashi led the boy to the kitchen where Souta scrubbed the floor, and her father was working on the cabinets. "You can help Dad and reach the higher places he cannot."

Houjo jumped at the prospect of helping Kagome's family, no matter how much it seemed like chores at his own home. "Yes ma'am!" He grabbed a wash cloth and promptly began scrubbing the higher places the frosting had made its way to.

"I'll go check on Kagome while you boys finish the kitchen." She called as she made her way outside.

_CRASH_

"Oh dear, that came form the well house!" Mrs. Higurashi hurried towards the well house, instantly distraught. "Kagome!"

* * *

Kagome shuffled up the ladder as best she could in a yukata, and finally made it to the top. She extended her arm toward the box she was currently looking for, and smiled when her hand rested on it. As she tossed the box to the ground, she noticed a second box of sutras just behind where th first had been. "Hm... I guess I better get that one too just in case." As she reached for the second box, she suddenly noticed the tug in her left side seemed to get stronger, and the warmth heated up even more almost burning.

Freezing in place, she debated on whether she should turn around or not. _'No... I better not... I just have to climb down slowly, and get the _hell _out of here! If they need the second box I'll just have to tell them I couldn't reach it, which isn't a lie at least.' _Tremors shot up Kagome's spine, and she just _knew_ what had caused it. She finally noticed the pulsing of the well, but still she refused to turn around. _'Just get down, and hurry out.' _Her steps down the ladder became a bit more frantic. Big mistake.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Kagome's foot slipped and she grabbed onto the ladder for dear life, but she felt it shudder and start falling backwards. Her throat burned with the insatiable urge to scream, but it would not come. The next thing she felt was the hard hit of the well's cover against her back, and the seemingly endless fall afterwards. Then... everything went black.

* * *

"Kagome? Dear, are you alright?" Mrs. Higurashi breathed a little heavier than normal from the hurry, and slid open the door to the well house. "Kagome? Sweetheart?" Her eyes widened as she saw the ladder leaning against the well, and the cover to the well completely shattered. "Kagome!" Rushing over to the well, she shoved the old ladder aside and peered down the dark well. "Kagome! Are you alright?" As she looked harder and her eyes finally adjusted to the minimal light, she noticed that there was absolutely _nothing_ at the bottom of the well. Not even the scraps of wood from the broken cover. "What's going on?" Tears burst from Mrs. Higurashi's eyes and she fell to her knees and wept over the well.

* * *

Green eyes gleamed in the sunlight as they settled on a particularly plump cow grazing just beyond sight of the village. A slight breeze played with long red hair, bringing it around to tickle a stolemn face. A fanged grin broke the surface of that face as the being crouched and prepared to pounce on his prey. Sharp claws extended, the being rushed toward the beast but stopped short as something distracted their focus.

Bright blue light suddenly rose above the trees, reaching for the sky but falling short.

The cow, now aware of its hunter's presence, gave a great snort of warning and stomped back toward the village.

Keen eyes shifted from the strange light back to the task at hand. The assailent followed close behind the animal, soon sinking his claws and fangs into warm flesh.

* * *

_**End Note: **__I have to admit I wasn't very happy with chapter one... it just felt so forced :/ So I re-wrote it in the hopes it came across smoother, I hope everyone likes this and don't worry I'm still going to have chapter 2 up if not by tomorrow, by Friday hopefully. :) I apologize for the delay. Please do me the honor of reviews and helpful criticism. __**-Snapps ;)**_


	3. Chapter 2: She from a Strange Land

_**Author Note: **__I simply cannot apologize enough for how long it has taken me! I have been BEYOND busy these last couple months and just haven't had any time to write or even think about writing! But finally here's chapter 2, I do hope it was worth the wait __:)_

**Disclaimer: **I do not, nor will I ever, own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi is the true mastermind.

* * *

...**Chapter 2…**

_~She from a Strange Land~_

_Black… Everything around was pitch black… and cold. "Where am I…?" Kagome wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt at warmth, but her hands were icy to the touch and only sent cold chills through her body. "What's going on? Why am I here?" Suddenly, a soft blue light illuminated to her left, glowing with slight warmth. The glow was soon accompanied by a deep hum as if it was calling to her. She turned her attention towards the light in time to see it brighten… and come charging at her. "Wha-…?"_

Kagome's eyes shot open and she was on her feet in seconds looking around for danger. "A… A bad dream again?" She sighed gratefully and began assessing her situation. Noticing the large stones, her eyes followed them up until they hit smooth mahogany wood. "The well…? But, how on earth did I-?" At once everything came rushing back, making her temples throb with a headache.

"That's right, I fell! I better get Mom, I'm sure she's out of the house by now!" Kagome gathered the breath needed in her lungs to call out to her mother, but the words died in her throat as she finally seemed to notice something that most certainly should _not _be there. Instead of the roof of the well house with its dusty cobwebs and splintery wood peering back down at her, a cloudless blue sky was framed neatly by the opening of the well.

Dumbfounded beyond words, Kagome simply stood there gaping at the strange sight before her. For the second time in a matter of minutes, the same question escaped her lips. "Wha-? Just where _am _I?" Deciding to worry about the impossible later, she pushed the currently un-answerable question to the back of her mind and focused on the problem at hand. She needed to get out of this well. Glancing up once again she spotted a crowd of shaggy vines snaking their way down the sides of the well. "Those look strong enough."

Gathering her courage, and her yukata hem, Kagome straightened and extended her arms toward the plant. Coming up just short, she huffed, irritated. "You've got to be kidding me!" She scuffed her foot on the ground and noticed a hollow _clop_ sound as something hit the wooden bottom of her bamboo sandal. "There!" Grabbing a piece of the former well cover, she swung it above her head to knock one of the longer vines loose from the wall. "Ahah!" She cried happily and grasped the creeper now in her reach, tossing the plank back on the ground. Choking the poor plant with a white-knuckle grip, the girl hauled herself toward the sky and plopped down on soft grass to let out a breath of relief. "And here I thought it was supposed to be your sixteenth birthday that was special…" She moaned.

As a humid breeze swirled around her, catching her hair, she closed her eyes and relished in the fresh scent. Sitting up to survey the surroundings before her, Kagome's breath hitched. Not only was she not in the well-house, she wasn't even on her property. As far as the eye could see past the small clearing she occupied, were only trees and what seemed to be a small path cutting through them. "I wonder…" The foliage danced happily as another breeze wisped through and around them, jostling their branches and knocking loose leaves off to carry with it. Suddenly, unfamiliar voices whispering nearby caught her attention.

"I told ye I heard something from inside the well! It must be a _demon_!" It was an elderly woman's gruff voice that first caught her ears.

"But, Baba, how y'know?" A younger voice asked.

"Why else would she be in the well? And stop calling me Baba ye ill-mannered whelp."

"Well'n stop callin' me a whelp! I jus' passed m' twenty-sixth year, _Baba_." The young male voice countered. "Mayb' sh' fell in?"

"Foolish boy, that's what she wants you to think! She must be a fox demon disguised as a human woman to trick us and eat us! I've heard tails of those young fox kits fooling young men!" The elder voice squawked. "And ye shall always be a whelp to me, boy."

Kagome's temper flared at the insinuation. She stood and turned on her heel to confront the voices a short distance behind the well. A squat old woman with silvery gray hair and the younger man with tied-back brown hair appeared in her line of sight. "What's all this about demons and foxes pretending to be humans? I'm a _human _girl, thank you very much!" She puffed angrily and straightened her yukata back around her legs.

The old woman hobbled closer to the well, and Kagome, "Leave us be demon, we have done nothing to ye! We be peaceable people and have no use for yer kind here! We have done nothing to offend ye so just be on yer way girl! If yer even _female_." she crinkled her nose in disgust and waved a basket of herbs at the young woman, hoping to prove her point and send the "demon" off.

Jaw clenched, Kagome stared down the old hag. _'Peaceable my ass.' _Burning at the woman, she skirted the well and stomped closer. "Oh you've done _plenty _to offend me! Demon this, demon that, I told you I'm human! My name is Kagome, Ka- Go- Me, not girl, and most _certainly _not_ demon_!" She huffed indignantly.

"If ye be not a demon, then why were ye down the well?" The old woman countered snootily.

Kagome balked. That's just it, she had no idea why she was down the well… at least, not _this _well. It couldn't possibly be the same well that resided in her home's shrine… could it? '_I can't exactly tell her the reason I'm here may be _because _of the well… She'd definitely think I was a demon then… Not that she still thinks that anyways.'_ Kagome thought sarcastically, but sighed in defeat, "I'm… lost." _'That's an understatement…'_

"Aye, I don't know of any fox demon village near these parts. And that still doesn't say why ye were down the well!" The old woman leered.

'_I give up!'_ Scrubbing her face with her hand, she addressed the man. "Look, do you know which way to Tokyo from here?"

"Toh-kee-oh?" The boy sounded each syllable like a child, stepping in front of the elderly woman.

"I've never heard of that place, is that where all ye fox demons meet to practice yer witchery?" The woman cut in before the man could answer.

He gave the hag a dirty look but nodded in agreement. " 've never heard of't m'self."

Choosing to ignore the old woman's snide remark, Kagome lapsed into thought. _'Never heard of Tokyo? But how is that possible?' _Realization suddenly hit like a ton of bricks. "Perhaps… I'm more lost than I first realized."

"Aye, girl, I told ye I've never heard of your Toh-kee-oh. If ye were so worried about gettin' lost perhaps ye shouldn't have wandered away from it!"

"Hiroko-baba!" The young man finally snapped. "I don' think 'is girl's a demon… If sh' was, wouldn't she've attacked us b'now?"

The old woman who now owned a name gave the man a hard stare. "Believe what ye want, boy. I don't trust a hair on her head. _Somethin_' isn't right, demon or not."

"Well 'm gonna to take 'er back t' the village an' ask the elder if she c'n help." The man straightened authoritatively and walked past Kagome toward the trail she had noticed earlier, motioning for her to follow.

Pushing back the urge to stick her tongue out at 'Hiroko-baba', she followed the man. _'I wonder if the elder will know something.' _Bringing her out of her thoughts she heard the man speak up.

"M' sorry for Baba's actions. Our village's been uneasy lately, with th' fox demon sniffin' around. She'sa worst of 'em. She gets on m' nerves but the wife makes me take 'er t' get herbs 'cause no one else can stand 'er long 'nough." He scratched the back of his head with a roguish grin, showing a missing tooth on his right upper side, and slowed to match Kagome's pace.

"Fox demon? Hiroko-san kept mentioning demons but they don't really exist do they? Is it ok to leave her by herself then?"

The man stopped short and just looked at the girl. "Y' really ain't from 'round here are y'?" He laughed and resumed walking when Kagome shook her head 'no.' "That ol' woman'll be fine, she jus' like'sa make trouble fer the villagers's much's she can. Name's Mako, by th' way. Yers was Kagome wan'nit?"

"Yeah." Kagome answered distractedly as she watched her feet, before asking, "If Hiroko-san thinks I'm a demon… won't the village? Will they really want me to come near them?" _'Or the elder?' _She added silently.

Mako put a hand to his chin in thought before grinning and looking back at her. "D'nno."

Kagome just gaped in disbelief. Was this guy _nuts_? What if they all took her as a demon too? She could not exactly stand up to a whole village. _'What have I gotten myself into…?'_

Mako let out a boisterous laugh. "Don' worry so much, girly. I won' let no one hurt'cha."

Kagome just stared at the childish man. However, something deep inside told her she could trust him, so she continued to follow him to the village, but that didn't stop her from thinking he was a few raisins short of a fruit salad.

* * *

A tall figured stood from the carcass of the cow he had just killed, eyes now locked on the direction of a clearing not far off. He had chosen to ignore the bright light that shot into the sky, but _this_ he could not. This power that suddenly assaulted his senses, shocking every fiber of his being.

"I want it. This _power_. I want it for my own." Those emerald green eyes narrowed dangerously as resolve set like stone. "I _will _have this power."

* * *

Coming up on another clearing, Kagome perused the village in its wake. Clear trails could be seen throughout the area where the grass had been worn down to the brown earth underneath from daily use. Small thatch huts decorated the landscape here and there as well as rice fields and other small areas of farmed land. It may not have been home, but it enticed a certain warm feeling... almost as if this was right somehow.

"Makoooooto-san!" Abruptly a young woman, barely older than Kagome herself, came running from one of the many huts with a determined set in her face and stopped right in front of Mako, barely coming to his chin. She had long, dark brown hair tied in a loose bun on the back of her head, just touching the collar of her pale green yukata, and a sweet peach-shaped face. "_Where_ is Hiroko-san and just _who_ is this _woman_?"

The accusation did not go unnoticed by Kagome when the young woman's eyes locked dead on with hers, but she chose to stay quiet. _'Maybe not so sweet…'_

When Mako did not answer, not that the young woman gave him much of a chance, her brown eyes slid dangerously back in his direction. His hands flew up in defense and he took a step back and further away from Kagome.

"S'not watcha think, Setsuko, m'love. You know yer th' only'un f'r me." He grinned. "This girl's just lost 'n Hiroko-baba stayed back 'cause sh' keeps sayin'th girl'sa demon jus' 'cause she's n' th' well. I brought'er ta see if th' elder c'n help 'er." Mako poured. Hoping it would sedate the girl, apparently, his wife.

Setsuko turned back to Kagome and inspected her long and hard, up and down, side to side.

Swallowing hard under the scrutiny, Kagome just stood there feeling like a lioness was sizing her up for a meal. For being the same height as herself, this girl seemed to tower over her in that moment.

Out of the blue, Setsuko thrust her hand out and, grabbing Kagome's hand to pull her along, grinned from ear to ear, much like Mako.

'_Yep, definitely his wife.'_ Kagome chuckled to herself, stunned at the girl's rapid change in attitude.

"Name's Setsuko, what's yours?" She peered back at Kagome expectantly and smiled.

"Kagome." She smiled in return.

Mako finally started breathing again and followed the two girls heading towards what must have been the elder's hut. This hut stood out from the rest, not in the way that it was more ornate or better built than the others, but in fact just the opposite. It was not run down by any means, but it was a simple thatch-roof hut like the others, only slightly smaller and less kept.

At Kagome's quizzical expression, Mako chimed in. "Kazue-sama like'sa make sure we've got r'selves good homes, so sh' doesn't r'lly worry bout 'er own much and refuses help sayin' 't c'ld b' put t' bett'r use on someth'n else." He grinned and held the door flap open.

"Mako, Setsuko. Who is this young girl ye have brought into our village un-announced?" A squat elderly woman, much like Hiroko, appeared in Kagome's line of vision. However, _unlike_ Hiroko, this elderly woman had a kind air to her, and Kagome instantly felt warm and comfortable in her presence.

"_Kazue-sama_" Mako and Setsuko both said and bowed in unison, Kagome quick to follow.

"Please, sit." Kazue-sama motioned for all three persons to sit around her fire pit and she turned to face them. "I feel as though you have something to tell me?"

"Yes, Kazue-sama." Mako bowed his head once more before continuing and gesturing to Kagome. "Th's girl, Kagome, 's lost. Me n' Hiroko-ba- uh, -san, found 'er in th' well."

Kazue looked curiously at afore-mentioned girl. "_Inside _the well? What were ye doing in there?"

"I fell down it when I was… fetching something for my grandfather." Kagome answered truthfully. She couldn't understand why but she felt like she did not want to make up stories to this woman. She probably would have seen through her tale anyway, Kazue-sama did not look like someone easily fooled.

"Hm." Kazue nodded, accepting Kagome's answer without further prodding. "And?" She gestured for Mako to finish.

"Well, so me 'n Hiroko-_san _found 'er in th' well. The ol' hag-"

"Makoto-san!" Setsuko chided, but Mako continued.

"-thought sh's a fox demon! I hafta say I 'greed with 'er at f'rst b't somethin' didn't seem right 'bout the accusation." Mako scratched his head as if he was _still _confused about why he decided she was not a demon. "But, Hiroko-san kept callin' 'er a demon, n' I tol' her I'd take Kagome back t' the village t' see you. I's hopin' you c'ld help 'er find 'er way home. I don't know where th's Tohkeyo is."

Kazue-sama descended into thought for a bit, "And where is Hiroko-san now?"

A guilty façade glided over Mako's face, "I kinda… left 'er there. I's tired of 'er naggin'!" he defended. "Plus sh' said she wouldn't come w'th Kagome there." He jabbed a finger at the girl next to his wife.

"It is of Hiroko's character to say such a thing." Kazue chuckled.

"Do you think you can help her find her way home, m'Lady?" Setsuko asked hopefully.

"I know not child. What village do ye come from?" Kazue turned her attentions to Kagome.

Not fully understanding the situation herself, she had no idea what to tell the village elder. Her mouth flapped open and shut much like a fish before she finally grappled words to use. "I- My village is very far away, I'm afraid I don't know how far. It's completely by accident that I wound up here." Again, Kagome felt she could not lie to this woman. "I don't even know where to start to find my way home."

Suddenly a loud crash and yelling outside interrupting the conversation.

Mako flew to his feet and peered outside. "It's th' fox demon ag'n!" Grabbing a spear from a weapon's rack by the door of Kazue's hut, he charged outside.

"Makoto-san!" Setsuko cried as she went outside the door followed by Kazue and Kagome. "It's not just the fox demon! The forest demons are attacking too!"

Kagome stood there dumbfounded by what she saw. Everywhere she looked there was a skirmish between humans and… '_Demons!?'_

* * *

_**End Note:**__ I had to make a few last minute edits I failed to catch before posting yesterday, I apologize for spamming your inboxes :) You will be happy to know, however, I am already working on chapter 3, inspiration has struck and I shall not stop until it Passes! Unless I get hungry. hehe. Please do me the honor of reviews and helpful criticism.__** -Snapps ;)**_


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